It often surprises people to learn that with today's water-conserving dishwashers and typical practices for hand-washing, properly filled automated dishwashers use less water and energy. If you wash dishes by hand and leave the water running when washing or rinsing, hand-washing almost certainly uses more water. Even if you try to be miserly... Read more

Who could be more qualified than one of the principal authors of LEED for Homes to provide insight on the best ways to make the program work?

In a typical home, the refrigerator accounts for about 8% of the total annual energy expense, according to 2005 data from the U.S. Department of Energy. While this energy consumption for food storage is significant, it's far less than it was a few decades ago. In the mid-1970s, an average new refrigerator used about 1,800 kilowatt-hours (kWh)... Read more

I get a lot of questions about energy. Electricity consumption factors into many of them. Why are electric bills so high? How can I tell when it's time to replace a refrigerator? Most of us have electric meters on our houses, but these measure your total household electricity use. To... Read more

From the USGBC:

By Russell Fortmeyer

Melbourne’s Council House 2 is as much a political act as it is architecture. You don’t build what is widely considered Australia’s most sustainable building, routinely lavished with international awards and praise, and not expect at least some criticism, some hand-wringing, and perhaps some latent jealousy... Read more

For the EBN feature article this month I spent weeks learning about building-integrated wind. I'm a huge fan of wind energy in general, and the idea of putting wind turbines on top of buildings — or actually integrating them into the architecture of buildings — was really appealing. Why not generate the energy right where it's needed, and by... Read more

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Businesses seeking competitive advantage through sustainability are the target market for Ecoimpact, a partnership of Penny Bonda, FASID; Diana Horvat, IIDA; and Ken Wilson, FAIA. The Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm will offer such services as LEED training, industry analysis, tax-incentive guidance, and marketing help. Bonda is the... Read more

When Congress approved the federal budget for fiscal year 2008, it also instructed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to mandate reporting of greenhouse gas emissions. EPA has now proposed a rule that would require companies in many industries to report their emissions to EPA, accounting for 85%–90% of emissions in the U.S.

Six high-profile environmental advocacy groups have joined forces to create a water certification label intended to change the way water is managed and valued worldwide. The “Water Stewardship” label, announced in March 2009 at the 5th annual World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey, will assure consumers that the water used to manufacture... Read more